It's hot in NY friends. So of course folks-is-grillin'. Yesterday a couple of bb-q's among the NY creative community generated some heated discussions about the latest Orphan Works Bill. People are up in arms about this new proposed ( about-to-be-passed)bill. Apparently your ( our )work is about to be up for grabs, anyone, meaning ANYONE can take your work as long as they show that they "attempted to contact you for permission" to gank your stuff. Artist will lose more control over their artwork than ever before. Not that we weren't already being robbed.
The real question is what is considered an attempt at contact? If you ring the phone and hang up, then bring the phone record to court is that considered an attempt? And lets be real, your run of the mill artist is broke-broke-broke! Who has the funds to challenge the theft in the first place?
I've had the pleasure of watching knockoffs of my work walk around me in the New York Streets, one knockoff wearing dude sat next to me in the subway the other day. No one sues over such things, It's part of the fashion game, I guess-Whatever. But with this bill there is even less of a likelyhood that the little man is going to go to court. Whats the chance he's going to win? I mean, damn, can he even AFFORD to win in the first place? Winning is expensive!
The real question is who is benefiting from this? because as animator Reggie Butler pointed out last night..." Doesn't the gov't have other shit to worry about right now?". Why are they even spending time on this? Word is that Google is the powerhouse behind the bill, how they benefit is yet a mystery. I'll let you know when I do...
Read More about the bill HERE
Khia
5 comments:
its funny cause i contacted my congressman about this. he had no clue. but like a lot of bills, most congress folks don't know about since there are so many bills to look at. thats why we have to educate these cats and let them know. once they understand , they can let their fellow congress people know.
This is the first I'm hearing about it, too. THIS is a link to get contact information for your various representatives to let them know you don't support this act.
HERE is another link to the Graphic Artists Guild, which has additional reading, including links to full text versions of the bill, and a draft letter to the Senate asking them to protect artists' rights.
Not sure what good it will have at this late stage, but something's better than nothing.
Sorry Khia. Yep AJas and AMitch = one person.... I threw myself off with that one LOL!
-Alea
well damn, the govt. must believe we artist's are pretty damn powerful..why else would they being trying to take our rights away?
It so easy to devalue a ( commerical) artist's work, because every bama who has ever seen a pen and paper thinks they can do what we do.
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